1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to improvements in processing poultry to produce various cuts thereof, and more particularly to processing poultry to produce boneless cuts and especially deboned poultry wings. Known art can be found in class 452, subclasses 135, and in other classes and subclasses.
2. Description of the Known Art
Those skilled in the butchery arts will appreciate that it is often desirable to debone various poultry cuts to enhance the commercial appeal of the respective product. For example, boneless breasts are a popular deboned poultry product. Many poultry products have previously been successfully deboned in commercial quantities by mechanizing production lines to increase output of a particular product, such as the aforementioned boneless breast. However, some poultry products have heretofore resisted prior efforts to mechanize their production. In particular, deboning poultry wings has proved vexatious.
Prior attempts have been made to solve the problems associated with deboning poultry wings, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,519 issued to Curtis, et al., on Nov. 29, 1994, that discloses a method of making a food product from a wing of a bird comprising a middle section having a tip section attached to one end and a drumette section attached to the other end. The method comprises cutting the wing to separate the middle section from the drumette section. The middle section is then cut along a line extending generally parallel to the middle section axis and spaced from the joint shared by the middle section and the drumette by a predetermined distance to remove the joint from the middle section. The tip section is then bent with respect to the middle section to expose at least a portion of both of the middle section bones proximate to the joint of the middle section and the tip section. A score line may be used to facilitate exposure of the two bones. The exposed portions of both of the middle section bones are then pulled to remove the two bones from the middle section to thereby provide a food product comprising a boneless middle section attached to the tip section, the tip section functioning as a convenient handle. The method of this patent has proven difficult to mechanize and commercial quantities have been difficult to produce efficiently.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,229 issued to Gagliardi, Jr. on Feb. 15, 1994, discloses a method of making a food product from the wing of a bird and food product made in accordance with the method. This patent is directed to a method of making a food product from the wing of a bird comprising a middle section, a tip section and an end section. The method involves cutting through a first joint to separate and remove the tip section. Skin extending between the middle section and the end section is cut along a cutline extending therebetween. The end section is also nicked on a side opposite to the side on which the skin has been cut. A cut is made through the area between the bones of the middle section to separate the middle section into two portions. The end section is bent with respect to the middle section about the joint therebetween so that the middle section and end section are generally aligned end to end with each other with the common joint therebetween. Finally, the two portions of the middle section are spread apart to provide a food product having the appearance of a cowboy wearing chaps. This method has not provided a mechanized solution for deboning poultry wings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,891 issued to Cresson, et al., on Dec. 7, 1993, discloses a machine for processing the meat of chicken wings. This patent is directed to a machine designed for trussing-up flesh and/or skin over a bone or a bone stump. The machine comprises an axially aligned set of a pusher device (11), a holder device (9) and movable jaws forming a cone (44). The machine is adapted for the industrial preparation of ready-to-cook chicken wings. This method has not provided a mechanized solution for deboning poultry wings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,397 issued to Gagliardi, Jr., on Aug. 3, 1993, discloses a method of making a food product from the wing of a bird and food product made in accordance with the method. This patent is directed to a method of making a food product from a wing of a bird is disclosed. The wing includes a middle section, a tip section connected to one end of the middle section, and an end section attached to the other end of the middle section. The food product is produced by cutting the bird wing in order to separate the middle section from the tip and end sections. The separated middle section is cut along a first cut line to remove the first knuckle from the separated middle section. The separated middle section is also cut along a second cut line to remove the second knuckle from the separated middle section. When the food product is cooked, the meat shrinks inwardly to expose end portions of bones within the middle section. The present invention also encompasses the food product which results from the process of the present invention. This method has not provided a mechanized solution for deboning poultry wings.
While it is evident from the past attempts that a deboned poultry wing is desirable, these known art patents are very limited in their teaching and utilization, and an improved apparatus and method for producing deboned poultry wings is needed to overcome these limitations. An improved system should provide a simple mechanism for deboning poultry wings efficiently and in commercial quantities. The method should enable the user to also remove bones from poultry wings using a mechanized process as desired. The mechanized process should permit the user to produce commercial quantities of deboned poultry wings.